A Tale of the Seventh Year
by kmkrome
Summary: my personal spin on James and Lily.
1. Prologue

disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related; it's all J.K. Rowling.

Prologue: An Introduction to Lily and James

The thing you have to understand about James Potter and Lily Evans, is that he really isn't that big of a prick and she's actually aware of it. That's what's so infuriating. Everyone thinks she doesn't realize it, but she does. Lily's seen him when he doesn't know she's around, when he's with his friends and he thinks no one's watching, and he's magnificent. He's smart and witty, almost downright charming, everything Hogwarts' Golden Boy should be. But then, he's almost… jagged, too. There were edges to James Potter, almost a slight sense of danger. He was arrogant and sarcastic, and he could be downright cruel when he wanted to be. Lily had witnessed it first hand. He was also brilliant, though, at really anything he put his mind to. He performed above everyone in his year, after all, with Sirius, Remus, and Lily right behind him. But James was also street smart. He was practically a quidditch God at Hogwarts, doing things on a broom no one had ever thought possible. And, besides for his marauders, he was a bit of a lone wolf. He needed no one else besides his brothers. He had many, many acquaintances that all liked him; of course the ladies loved him, and he was rather close with his quidditch team as he was their beloved captain. He was even pretty polite for the most part, but in general he just didn't give many people the time of day. Lily assumed where the part of his bad boy persona came from, the fact that everyone just kind of assumed he was better than everyone else. And though she had fought this conclusion for her entire time at Hogwarts, Lily had to admit.. he kind of was, in a horribly, prat-like way.

But James Potter was more than just his strange personality. Lily could see the way he cared for the other three. It's like he tries to protect them, all of them, Remus and Sirius and Peter, from anything other than this fun life they've spent the past six years building. Maybe that was the point of it all, she wondered, the pranks and the girls and the popularity: to keep them all from their actual demons. Lord knows that group of boys had enough. On the surface, they were Hogwarts' favorite troublemakers. Below that, there lied family troubles, identity crisis, and a crippling inferiority complex. But James seemed to lead them to see past all that. He was their glue, she had realized long ago, and their leader. She saw the way he held them all together. In fact, she saw the way his magnetism attracted everyone around him, despite the distance he kept from them. She had sworn long ago to never fall into that pull; she wouldn't be another notch in James Potter's bed post. She had kept her distance, as far away from the Marauders as she could get, spending most of her time with her Slytherin best friend, Severus Snape. They both had found plenty of excuses to despise him, though James repeatedly assured Lily that she was meant to be with him. After about their third year when she had made up her mind on him entirely, he seemed happy to simply comply to her hatred and fuel her fire. To him, it seemed, getting Lily to feel anything, even hatred, was better than her feeling nothing toward him at all.

The years of bickering had led up to one final blowout fight at the end of their fifth year, that had been much bigger than just Lily and James. James had provoked Severus, being the bully that he always had been towards the Slytherin, and when Lily had stepped in, Severus had called her a mudblood. Lily had lost Severus after that, and he would never be _her_ Sev again. After all, how could she ever look at him the same way after he had called her that foul name? She couldn't, she had concluded. It became clear that they had both chosen separate paths in life, and Lily had severed times with him for good. She thought that ending her friendship with Severus would only encourage James to pursue her even more, but the fight seemed to have been the final straw for him as well. Understandably, as she may or may not have said some truly horrible things to him. Not that she thought he hadn't deserved it, because after years of torment, she knew he did. And so she never apologized, and he spent all of sixth year ignoring her existence, like he did to so many other people. Though Lily was glad to be rid of the attention, it bothered her at the same time.. She hated that she had been so special to him for so many years and now she was grouped in with the rest of Hogwarts. She was suddenly too insignificant for him to waste his precious marauder time on. He spent the year dating other girls occasionally, pulling pranks with his friends, and running his quidditch team with the deliberateness of a military general, winning Gryffindor the House Cup.

She had spent the year growing closer with the girls of the Gryffindor House, Marlene Mckinnon and Alice Prewett, which had been nice for her. They had always been friends, but Severus had been her best friend, and the girls had helped to fill this gap. They had begun doing everything together, eating meals, going on Hogsmeade trips and screaming together at quidditch matches. They helped to bring Lily away from all of her studying, and she helped to ground them and make sure they actually did their homework. They truly were a wonderful trio. Most of Hogwarts agreed they were the three most gorgeous girls in their year, though the girls themselves stayed oblivious to this fact. They were all very kind and very well liked as well though, and because of this fact the three girls themselves were very popular among the students of Hogwarts. Lily had gotten to know so many people in this year, even having conversations with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black every once in awhile.

The boys of Gryffindor had grown up a lot in that year too, in more ways than one. The boys had been through quite a bit throughout the years, and had finally begun to mature a little bit. Their pranks were lighthearted and intended to bring fun, instead of malicious attacks on the Slytherins. Even Lily could not help but begin to notice their physical developments as well. In particular, she was rather disgusted by her peaked interest in the physique of the messy-haired marauder. Girls in Hogwarts had always gone crazy over him, but Lily had never seen him as the sex god everyone else did. To be fair, James had never been ugly by any means, but Lily just couldn't appreciate looks when the personality could be so rotten. When he came back for his sixth year, however, he was no longer the hot young boy, he was a gorgeous man, and not a single girl could deny it. He was tall and lean, as an athlete should be, with willowy muscles filling out his strong build. His shoulders had broadened, which only accentuated the narrowness of his hips. He had a strong jaw, an inherited trait from the Potters, with hazel eyes that flashed with mischief. His glasses accentuated them, and appealed to his intelligence. His dark messy hair lay unkempt like it always had, as untamable as James himself. And then there was the smirk. Lily had spent the past six years listening to her roommates squeal about the way James Potter made them feel when he smirked at them, although secretly Lily much preferred his smile. When James wasn't trying to cause trouble, wasn't trying to impress anyone, and wasn't trying to be cool, he was beautiful, although Lily would never admit that to anyone.

She never could quite figure out what exactly Potter saw in her. After all, he was almost everybody's favorite marauder, and she was..well, just Lily. Of course, she had had plenty of guys interested in her, and she knew that she was pretty, but that was it. In her mind, she wasn't stunning or beautiful or magnetic, just pretty. She was smart and kind and a bookworm, not the kind of risk that usually attracted James's wild side. Yes, she had a temper, but she had always felt that she just wasn't..complex, the way that Potter was. The rest of Hogwarts, it seemed, disagreed with Lily thoroughly. As unaware of her own beauty as she was, there was not a single male in Hogwarts that didn't find Lily Evans attractive. Her dark auburn hair lay in waves far past her shoulders, and her green eyes were the brightest that anyone had ever seen. Her creamy, ivory skin was smooth and unmarred, spare for a few freckles sprinkled across her nose. She had grown into a lovely womanly shape as well, with an incredibly tiny waist that flowed into an hourglass outline. Modest as she dressed, her figure simply could not be hidden. Her kind nature and friendly personality only added to her appeal, as so many of the lads of Hogwarts fell for her sweet smile.

That was one of the strongest differences between Lily and James. There was no darkness, no danger to her. Lily was so filled with light, but there was a certain edge to James. He was so different from what people made him out to be, yet in certain ways he was exactly the same. Lily had spent so much time over the summer contemplating all that was James Potter, that she was oblivious to the fact that she had grown attached to the idea of him. She couldn't be sure if she still hated him, as they really hadn't spoken, but he had done nothing to make her continue her hatred nor relieve her of it. Frankly, she more so hated herself for even worrying about it. Towards the end of the summer, however, Lily was given another excuse to let the troublemaker invade her thoughts: he was to be the Head Boy to her Head Girl, and she honestly had no idea what to make of it. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to scream or cry or just be relieved that it wasn't a Slytherin, but those were all younger Lily's reactions. She assured herself that she would remain cool and professional towards Potter this year, though she felt less than sure of the fact. The only thing she did feel sure of was that this year, her very last year, was certain to be the most interesting. Unbeknownst to her, James Potter was halfway across the country, reading his own congratulatory letter from Dumbledore and thinking the exact same thing.


	2. Chapter 1

Lily Evans arrived at Platform 9 and ¾ 20 minutes early, as she always did. Her mother and father were unable to join her this year, but Lily didn't really mind. Of course, Lily's sister Petunia had never come, and her parents absence really just gave her less time to say goodbyes and more time to appreciate her last train ride. She took a deep breath as she stepped onto the Platform and into her other world, the one where she really belonged. She felt like a first year again, staring around in wonder at the bustling families and steaming locomotive. She couldn't help but try to take it all in again. This was her last year to experience this, and she wanted to memorize every bit of it. Swallowing the nostalgia rising in the back of her throat, she came to her senses and began lugging her trunk to the train. She smiled at some of the other early arrivers that she recognized and said hullo to a few of her acquaintances. As she grew closer to the train, a quick flash of messy black hair caught the corner of her, and she quickened her pace. Lily was not quite ready to deal with a certain Head Boy just yet..

As she found her way to the prefects compartment and settled in, she began to let her thoughts wander. She couldn't help but divulge in the anxiousness that had been tugging at her for weeks. Would she and Potter be the worst heads ever, at each other's throats every other minute? And was the rumor about the heads dorms actually true? Merlin, she wasn't sure she could handle living with him. Her only hope at survival would be to convince Marlene and Alice to move in with her, for both distraction and moral support. She smiled at the thought of her two crazy friends, and briefly wondered where they were sitting. She didn't have to wonder for long, however, as a knock on the compartment door caused her to look up into their smiling faces. Marlene burst through the door first and all but tackled her into a tight hug. Laughing, she groaned out "C'mon Marls, I can't breathe." Marlene released her and grinned, stepping aside to let Alice take over the squeeze fest.

Marlene McKinnon was what many liked to refer to as a Blonde Bombshell. She had naturally platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her back in shiny, loose curls. Her flawlessly tan skin was the envy of many, and on top of that, her figure was to die for. She was blessed with a large bust and an hourglass shape that was only accentuated by her taste in fashion. Alice, however, was not lacking in the looks category either. Alice Prewett had a round, glowing face with almond shaped honey brown eyes. Her eyelashes were long and thick, and she had the most adorable mole on her right cheek. Her light brown hair fell naturally straight to her shoulders, and helped to thin her face. She had an athletic build, with some of the longest legs Hogwarts had ever seen. Lily beamed just at the sight of her gorgeous friends; it had been much too long.

As the girls settled down, Marlene began rambling off, gossiping as usual.

"So, we know we don't have very long to catch up or anything, but we just wanted to come wish you good luck on your first meeting as Head Girl. Don't be nervous, you're going to be the best head Hogwarts has ever seen. And please don't kill James, we need him to win the quidditch cup. And have you guys seen Benjy Fenwick this year? That boy is one fine piece of…"

"Marlene! Take a breath girl, sheesh" Alice exclaimed, chuckling at her friend's antics. "really, though Lily, we just wanted to tell you you'll be great. Find us after the meeting, yeah?"

"Of course, loves. I'll see you soon"

"Alright doll, looking forward to it" Marlene winked, and with that, they were off. In Marlz' case, probably to find Benjy Fenwick, that little minx. Lily grinned widely at the thought, already excited for the meeting to be over and have a proper catch up with the girls. She hadn't had a chance to see them much this summer, and though they owled often, it simply just wasn't the same. As soon as they had cleared out of the compartment, leaving Lily alone with her thoughts, another presence took their place. This time, a much more masculine figure entered the compartment and sat across from her, and he happened to have rather beautiful, hazel eyes…

 _Knock it off Lily!_ she scowled inside her head. _Less focus on the eyes and more focus on trying not to strangle him…_

"Evans" James greeted coolly, bringing her out of her head. She couldn't help but notice his voice had deepened over the summer..

"Potter," she replied, trying to keep her exterior as cool as his. After a few moments of silence with them tensely sizing the other up, James decided to be the first to take the plunge..

"Look, Evans, I know you're not exactly thrilled about this arrangement, and I can't say I'm too sure why Remus isn't the one here right now.." he paused as Lily's brow furrowed at the unexpected humility, "but I'm here and you're here and... let's just make the best of it, yeah?"

Running a hand subconsciously through his already messy hair and extending his other hand to her in truce, she felt herself eyeing it warily. Noticing this, he continued, "It's just.. there's a war out there yknow? This year is a lot bigger than you and me. And if we can't at least appear united, how the bloody hell can we expect the rest of the school to?"

The maturity and reality of the statement shocked her.

"I appreciate that, Potter. I'm really not trying to go down in Hogwarts history as the only two heads to kill each other." He let a laugh escape his lips that sounded almost genuine, and Lily felt herself relax. They hadn't actually fought in over a year; what had she been so worried about?

"Might as well get down to business then, yeah?" he suggested, surprising Lily once again. Since when had James Potter ever been one to prepare ahead of time?

"Sure, let's just start with what we want to address at the meeting. We need to assign some patrol schedules for the rest of the train ride.." Lily began, taking notes as she went.

"And we need to remind the new prefects to help the first years to the boats" James added.

The two continued the conversation in similar fashion, bouncing ideas off of one another. What felt like an hour later but in reality was only fifteen minutes, the prefects began filing in. She noticed Remus among the crowd and shot him a quick smile, which he returned with a quick wave and a nod to James. Feeling James come stand beside her and following his lead, she turned to address the prefects, "Right you lot, so thank you all for coming and being on time. To our new prefects, welcome! We are so happy to have you! For anyone that doesn't know, I'm Lily Evans and this is James Potter, both seventh year Gryffindors and your head boy and girl for the year." (At this point, quite a few of the younger female prefects sighed dreamily, and Lily had to resist rolling her eyes.) "We're passing around a schedule of train patrols for the rest of the ride. This will be your first duty as prefect"

James took over, explaining the carriages, feast responsibilities, and addressing when their first official meeting would take place. Lily added comments here and there when she felt necessary, but found herself more silent than she imagined she'd be. James had the attention of the compartment commanded so easily, and she felt strangely timid to disrupt it. After about a half an hour, it seemed they had covered everything they wanted to. Dismissing the other prefects, Lily sat back down for a moment to organize some of her other ideas for the year. Lost in her quick scribbling, she jumped when James sat down next to her and began to read over her shoulder..

"What are you doing?" he questioned curiously, looking up to meet her eyes. A jolt ran through her at the close proximity, but she quickly shook away the feeling.

"I just thought, with all the stuff you said about the war.. I know most of this year is going to be about preparing for NEWTS and the outside world, and that's stressful enough as it is.. But I want our last year to still be fun, yknow? And maybe we could talk Dumbledore into a few extra Hogsmeade trips or something to help break up all the gloom.." she trailed off there, feeling rather silly. James smiled, though, a real smile, and she felt the blush creeping up her neck increase intensely.

"I have a couple ideas myself, actually. But I'm off to find the boys. We can talk about them later, yeah?" and without waiting for her response, he was already on his way. Lily gathered up her things and sighed, beginning to make her way down the hallway. Had she and James Potter really just converse almost like...friends? Marlene and Alice were going to love this.

After finding her friends, the girls had happily spent the train ride laughing, gossiping, and snacking away on treacle tarts. Hogsmeade came into view much faster than expected, and Lily was almost sad to be hopping off the train. At the same time, she was practically tingling at the excitement of a new year. She pinned her Head Girl badge proudly to her robes, and waved Marlene and Alice off as she made her way over to the first years.

Likewise across the way, James was bidding goodbye to his fellow Marauders. Sirius, normally the most troublesome and energetic of the group, was rather subdued. James knew Sirius was still feeling guilty for the incident with Snape last year, fearing Remus' cold shoulder to him hadn't quite fully melted. No thought of an opening feast prank had so much as even crossed their minds, a fact that would most likely shock the entire school. James and Sirius had discussed it over the summer often, and they knew this year was going to hold a lot more for them than pranks. Besides, Sirius was still on probation with Dumbledore, and even one detention would probably have him expelled..

"Alright you lot, I'll see you up at the castle" James announced, getting ready to head over to the first years. He saw the look of anxiety flash in Sirius eyes', knowing it was because he was still unsure of how to act around Remus. It was gone in a second, though, and his steely gray eyes returned to being guarded. Luckily, Remus smiled and gave James a nod, steering the other two to the carriages. James watched as Remus put his arm around Sirius shoulders in a brotherly fashion, and the dark haired boy's' own dropped in relief. _Good man,_ he thought. James felt his own nerves lessen too, realizing that the marauders were finally going to be normal again. With that reassurance, he turned his attention towards the beautiful redheaded girl who had plagued his thoughts for the past two hours..

 _You haven't thought about Lily Evans for the better part of the past year and one train ride with her has your head spinning, Prongs. Get a grip.._ he scolded himself. James steeled himself as he casually strolled over and began helping the first years to the boats, not willing to even acknowledge the Head Girl doing the same beside him.

Lily paused in assisting the first years for the briefest of seconds, confused by the cold shoulder being given to her by her counterpart. Maybe she was just being sensitive.. but hadn't they just been rather friendly? She snuck a glance at him as he helped a rather nervous looking young girl into one of the boats, whispering something funny in her ear and causing her to giggle madly. Lily shook her head to regain her composure, assuring herself that she was looking much too far into things. _It's just Potter, Lily. What do you even care?_

As the two finished with the first years and caught the last carriage up to the castle, she noticed James pause outside for a moment, staring at the area where something should be pulling the carriages but where nothing was to be seen. He frowned slightly, and she had the strangest suspicion that he could see something she couldn't. As he joined her inside the carriage, she meant to ask him about it, but the sharpened look in his eyes and strong setting of his jaw stopped her. Neither of them spoke a word to the other for the entire ride, James staring broodingly out the window and Lily trying very hard not to stare at him.

They entered the Great Hall side by side and Lily was relieved to see that Marlene and Alice were not sitting by the marauders. She made her way over to them rather quickly, eager to be rid of Potter's frustrating presence. Just as she sat down and turned to her friends to discuss his odd behavior, the sorting hat began belting out its song. Lily sighed in frustration and Marlene seemed to mirror her actions, while Alice happily clapped along.

The sorting, as always, seemed to drag. All of the older students were waiting agonizingly for the feast, knowing the welcoming feast was one of the best of the entire year. Finally, when a young girl by the name of Darla Zorn was sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore rose to address the students. "There is often great moments for speeches, but this, I fear, is not one. Please, tuck in!" The students cheered as a grand amount of food appeared on all the tables, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with delight. Alice squealed as a mountain of mashed potatoes was placed in front of her, heaping piles onto her plate. Lily rendered the dinner rolls hers and refused to share, while Marlene graciously helped herself to two servings of shepherd's pie. The girls were so caught up in their meals they failed to say two words to each other, until thirty minutes later when their plates were empty and their stomach's full. Lily sighed in contentment; all thoughts of annoyance with Potter vanished from her mind.

"That was the best feast yet," Alice voiced the thoughts of everyone around her, and Lily laughed in agreement. The hall rang loudly with sounds of old friend chattering away and catching up. A hush fell over them, however, as Dumbledore stood to address the students once again. "Another wonderful feast provided to us from the school house elves, if I do say so myself. As another term begins, I'd like to inform all of our new first years and remind our older students that the Forbidden Forest is, in fact, forbidden. Our caretaker Mr. Filch would also like me to inform you all that there is an updated list of Zonko's items that have been banned on the door to his office, and you would all be wise to make yourself familiar with it" At this, Dumbledore gazed directly at four seventh year Gryffindor boys, who all had incredibly innocent looking expressions plastered onto their faces. "And finally," he continued, "I would like to address what we all have seen coming for awhile. There is a war going on outside the walls of Hogwarts. While you all can be assured that there is no safer place for you than Hogwarts, I encourage you to not be blind to the dangers of the outside world. Please, take all possible precautions whenever outside of the grounds. And more importantly, stand together. Let not house rivalries get in the way of new friendships and alliances. After all, we are only as strong as we are united." A soft murmur broke out among the students in surprise at the direct mention of the war. Sure, a lot of it was in the papers, but mostly no one liked to talk about it. Lily shared worried glances with Marlene and Alice, all realizing that this was their last year in the safety of their school. "And with that" Dumbledore's voice boomed throughout the hall, "I bid you all good luck with the start of the new term and a goodnight. Prefects, please lead your houses back to your common rooms. And if our new Head Boy and Girl would please stay behind and spare me a minute of their time" he finished, smiling kindly upon Lily and James. Lily assured Marlene and Alice that she would tell them all about whatever Dumbledore had to say later, and then fought her way through the crowd to James. To her dismay, he still seemed to have the brooding expression on his face. He simply nodded in Dumbledore's direction and began making his way over, Lily trailing slightly behind.

"Ah my wonderful Head Boy and Girl! I am so delighted to see you! I trust the trip over went well"

"Yes, professor. The meeting with the prefects went smoothly. Thank you again for offering us these positions" Lily replied smoothly, answering for the both of them.

"Ah nothing of it my dear girl. Now, on to more important matters! Like your living quarters. If you will follow me" Dumbledore exclaimed, smiling with joy at the shocked expression on Lily's face. James, however, seemed to already know that this was coming.

"Potter!" Lily whispered furiously, "Did you know about this?!"

"Did you really think the Heads Quarters were just a rumor?" he replied dryly, raising an eyebrow. Lily huffed in response, rendered speechless by the thought of living with James Potter for her entire seventh year. _This is so unfair.._

Dumbledore hummed as they made their way through the castle, finding the awkwardness between his two head students rather amusing. He stopped at a painting of a large oak tree with two apples on it. He tapped one of the apples with his wand, and a face grew into the tree's ridges.

"Password?" the face drawled.

"Lily, if you would please choose a password. Your apple will be the one on the left"

Lily thought for a moment before choosing Expelliarmus, James snorting mockingly at her choice. She shot him a scathing look that he ignored while he stepped up to announce his password as well, choosing "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs."

"Excellent, excellent. Now, it is my deepest wishes that you two find your living quarters to your liking. Inside you will find your own common room along with two separate bedrooms and a shared bathroom. I hope that as my two Head students I can trust that no tomfoolery shall take place with these arrangements…" Dumbledore trailed off, gazing scrutinizingly at the two of them over his half moon spectacles. Lily blushed immediately while James simply chuckled.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Professor," he chirped, causing Dumbledore to chuckle as well. He bid them goodnight and walked off down the corridor, singing a strange tune about lemon drops and ice cream. James looked back at Lily, an unreadable expression in his eyes before murmuring "Well, here goes nothing" and walking inside. _Here goes nothing_ , she sighed following in his wake. What she found, however, stopped all of her bitterness in its tracks.

The heads quarters, to put it quite simply, were incredible. Their common room was not only larger, but far grander than the Gryffindor common room. Plushy red couches surrounded a roaring stone fireplace, with a beautifully adorned cherry oak coffee table centered in between. Golden blankets and pillows adorned both of the couches, while beautifully cream-colored armchairs tailed each side. A giant, dark maroon rug covered half of the room, with gleaming wooden floors lying beneath. Lily walked around the room in awe, trailing her hands over what she assumed was her own desk and the bookshelves beside it. _We practically have our own library!_ she thought giddily, squealing quietly to herself at the thought. She looked over to see James traveling up the spiral staircase to the right, so she followed suit and traveled up the staircase to the left. As she came to a large set of double wooden doors with iron wrought handles, she saw her name written across the top in glittering cursive letters. She sighed at the unbelievable beauty of it all and pushed through the doors to be left breathless again.

Her twin sized bed in the Gryffindor girl's dorms simply did not compare to what lay before her. A king sized bed, complete with canopy and sheer gold drapings stood regally in front of her. Her bedspread was a simple cream color, thick and lush in texture. It had elegant golden swirls across it that were only visible if you were lying with it right in front of you. Her curtains were gold as well, covering a window that was the length of her entire wall. The ceilings stood at an impressive eighteen feet, and Lily was delighted to find a dresser and walk in closet all just for her. She walked across the squishy, beige carpeting, wondering to herself how she ever thought this could be a bad thing. She was quickly reminded, however, as she opened the door to the bathroom and saw that James' room was also connected to it. He smirked slightly at her, taking in the elegance of their washroom.

A large, spa-like tub sat to the left of a floor-to-ceiling glass shower. The bright, marble flooring contrasted greatly with the dark stone of the shower and countertops, which held his and hers sinks. Lily ran her hand over the soft, fluffy towels with her initials monogrammed onto them and could not believe all the special touches that had been added for them. She smiled over at James, who had seemingly dropped his cold shoulder act and invited her to look into his room. She obliged, simply out of curiosity, and was greeted with a room very similar to her own, but done in all dark maroon shades. Where Lily's room exuded the elegance of a woman, James's screamed strong masculinity. The woods in his room were all a dark mahogany, and his bed was done fully in maroon with black detailing. Where Lily's room had one large window, James had entire wall of windows. In the middle, she noticed, was a door. She gazed at it, confused, for there was no balcony it led to. James, noticing her stare, answered her question.

"For flying. That way I don't have to walk all the way down to the pitch. Dumbledore knows me much better than I thought" She smiled at that, realizing just how much of _James_ this room truly embodied. They chatted for a while, making meaningless small talk. Both were too excited about their new quarters to go to bed just yet, and Lily was happy that her co-Head seemed friendly once again. As an hour passed, Lily found herself yawning, and so she headed back to her own room to get ready for bed. As she shut the door to her room behind her, she heard the shower turn on, as James must have been getting ready for bed too. She organized some of her personal things in her room, adding photos of her family and of her, Marlene, and Alice. She was lost in thoughts of how excited and jealous they would be when they saw her new room. Changing into her pajamas, she realized that the shower had been off for several minutes, and figuring James must be finished, entered the bathroom. As she glanced up, she locked eyes with what was a dripping wet, barely covered James Potter brushing his teeth.

Her face flushed in embarrassment, and to her further humiliation, she felt her eyes unwillingly trailing down his face to the rest of his body. His usually messy hair was wet and sticking slightly to his forehead, his glasses lay forgotten on the counter. His dark, thick eyelashes were actually rather striking, bringing out his hazel eyes more than Lily thought possible. She trailed her eyes down his long straight nose, over his strong cheekbones, to his full lips... She soaked in the sight of his strong shoulders and built chest.. Catching the gleam of a water droplet running its way down his very, _very_ toned abdomen, she had to suppress a groan at how unreal his body actually was. _Bloody fucking hell, Potter_ she thought angrily, _do you do nothing but workout in your free time?_ She was brought back to life by James clearing his throat, and realizing what she had been doing, her face flushed again. "I'll be out in a sec" he added, clearly amused by the situation. Lily mumbled a quick response and darted back into her room, falling face first into her giant bed.

 _This was going to be a long year…._


	3. Chapter 2

Lily woke up bright and early the next morning, the excitement of the first day of classes drowning out her embarrassment from the night before. She showered and let her vibrant hair dry naturally, falling in pretty loose waves over her shoulders. Normally, Lily didn't bother much with makeup for classes, but today she felt the need to do a little extra. As she applied a little mascara to accentuate her eyes and a nude lipstick to flatter her skin tone, she repeatedly assured herself she was not doing this because of her new living arrangements. She was simply excited for her last year, that was all. By 6:30 a.m., she was already dressed in her uniform and ready to go down to breakfast. With nothing else to do, she trotted down the stairs, grabbed a book from one of the bookshelves, and headed towards the Great Hall.

One or two faces were scattered about the large room, but no one she really recognized. Most of the staff didn't even arrive at breakfast until 7. Sighing, Lily took a seat towards the middle of the table and pulled out her book, some random babbling about the theory behind the calming drought. Absorbed in the text , she failed to notice how quickly time was passing. She jumped slightly when Marlene and Alice sat down next her and said good morning. Checking her watch, she couldn't believe it was already 7:30. Lily's stomach grumbled and she realized she hadn't actually eaten anything yet. She buttered herself some toast and began chatting to the girls, describing her new living quarters in great detail but leaving out the very attractive and shirtless marauder she had encountered in her new, luxurious washroom.

James woke to the sound of someone walking noisily down the stairs that same morning. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tried to locate his glasses, groaning when he found them and realized how early it was. Standing up from the bed, he stretched his long torso and tried to roll the knots out of his broad shoulders. He accepted that it was not likely he would fall back asleep and instead, thought it would be rather fun to give the other marauders a wake up call. Smirking at the thought, he sauntered his way into the bathroom to shower and get dressed.

As he was putting on his uniform, he sighed in annoyance at the thought of dealing with ties and slacks for another year. Though James himself came from a very wealthy and powerful pureblood wizarding family, he had always loved wearing simple muggle clothes. When not in class, James could often be found in comfy jeans or sweatpants, along with sweaters and t-shirts. Initially, he had thought the other students of Hogwarts would find this strange, but it was actually fairly common. Many of the teenagers around the school preferred muggle clothing, as well as muggle music. The girls especially could never get over James, Sirius and Remus wearing V-necks, emphasizing their strong arms and defined chests, a trend the other boys around the school had yet to pick up on. Rolling the sleeves of his school required white button-up to his elbows and loosening his tie to his liking, he sighed again and told himself that this was about as comfortable as it was going to get. Of course, the ladies had always loved a man in uniform as well.

He made his way to the Gryffindor tower quickly and smirked to himself as he found his three mates still sleeping. Sirius would be first, he decided, and he made quick work of jumping on him and yelling "WAKE UP PADS!" Sirius groaned, managing a muffled "geroff" as he pushed James from his bed. Once he opened his eyes and was met with the site of his best mate, however, he cried out "PRONGSIE" and jumped onto James, tackling them both to the floor. The two boys laughed loudly, simply happy to be back in the other's presence. There really was no other friendship in the school quite like James and Sirius'. Not to say that they weren't extremely close with Remus and Peter as well, because really, there wasn't a friendship like the marauders' in all of Hogwarts. James and Sirius just understood each other on a level that no one had ever seen or quite understood themselves. They knew what the other was thinking, what the other was feeling, and what the other needed at all times. James had helped change the entire course of Sirius's life, and for that, Sirius would always feel like he could never repay him. Sirius admired James far more than anyone realized, and he loved him more than he had ever loved any of his actual family. James, an only child all his life, had grown up very lonely. His father, the Head Auror at the Ministry of Magic, spent most of his time away on missions saving the world, and James's mother joined him more often than not. Sirius had given James the brother he had always wanted, and James had never known a friendship could run so deeply. There was nothing James wouldn't do for Sirius, nor Sirius for James. Their fierce loyalty to the other was more often than not the source of much of their quarrels with the Slytherins in the past. James had never able to walk away from them cruelly mocking Sirius for his family troubles, and Sirius could never simply shrug off hearing them call James a blood traitor. Likewise, the two fiercely defended Remus and Peter, who at first were often too quiet to do so themselves. The four had grown so protective of each other that the rest of Hogwarts knew better than to mess with one of them, as the other three were never far behind.

Remus and Peter were woken by the two noisy marauders sprawled on the floor. Peter promptly told them both to bugger off and shoved his head under his pillow (never had been much of a morning person, that one). Remus, however, happily joined the pile on the floor, adding his laughter and weight to the group. Sitting up, the three boys discussed James' new living situation and their expectations for the new school year. Pete eventually gave up on sleep and joined them. About 45 minutes later, they realized it was 7:30 and they only had about 15 minutes to get ready and head down to breakfast. There was a mad dash for the two showers in the bathroom, and Peter, having always been the slowest of the four, was left grumbling and putting on his uniform without a shower.

The boys made it into the hall at about 7:45, seemingly unaware, as usual, to all the attention they drew to themselves. Almost all eyes were on them as they took their designated seats closest to the door and began piling food onto their plates (they were still growing boys, after all). Looking down the table at his fellow classmates, James noticed Lily sneaking glances his way. As he caught her eye, she blushed deeply, realizing she'd been caught.

"That's new," he mused, returning to his waffles.

"Bloody hell" Lily thought, trying to pay attention to Marlene's latest boy troubles.

McGonagall reached the seventh year girls with their timetables five minutes before breakfast ended. They thanked her, and she spared her eldest students a rare, tight-lipped smile. Lily was relieved to see that both Marlene and Alice would be joining her in Charms first thing that morning, though she would be off to Potions on her own afterwards. They would all three rejoin in their last class of the day, double Defense Against the Dark Arts. Transfiguration and Ancient Ruins were both only Tuesday through Friday, Charms and Potions being only Monday through Thursday. Lily had also taken Herbology, which fell on Monday Wednesday and Friday. Five NEWT classes were going to make for a heavy load, but she needed them to pursue healing like she had planned. After the girls had compared schedules, they gathered their things and began to make their way to the second floor to Charms. As they walked by the marauders, the four boys stood to join them. Lily sighed, realizing that as the four cleverest boys in the school, they would likely be in most of her NEWT classes. _They just can't give me enough Potter, can they.._

Professor Flitwick had spent the entire hour and fifteen minutes droning on about how important their seventh year would be to their futures, and how much pressure was on them to perform on their NEWTS. The seventh years Gryffindors were all ready to bang their heads into the wall only half way through the period. Lily was glad when the class had ended and she found herself heading to the dungeons. Though NEWT potions was going to be extremely challenging, it was the most relevant to her career aspirations, and it was no secret it had always been her favorite subject. As she walked into the dark and damp classroom, she scanned the room to see who would be joining. Snape was sitting in a desk hidden in the back right corner, and she deliberately avoided his penetrating gaze. Potions had always been their subject, and it was obvious it was still a sore spot for Severus. Avery and Mulciber, two trolls for boys that were also seventh year Slytherins sat at the table in front of him, two Slytherin girls in the table to their left. A couple of Ravenclaws and several Hufflepuffs were also scattered about the tables, but none that Lily was particularly friendly with, so she chose a table to the left side and towards the front by herself. The marauders followed a few steps behind her, James and Sirius pairing together and Remus sitting with Peter, the former choosing the table directly behind her. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes, imagining the mischief they would be up to. Outwardly, however, she kept her face impassive and her attention on the front of the classroom. After only a few minutes, Slughorn exited his office and stood at the front of his class, beaming proudly at how many had braved NEWT potions. Lily took this as a good sign that this class was going to be much more promising than the previous one. Unfortunately, she was not correct.

Potions passed similarly to Charms, with several long speeches about the gravity this year held for them and the importance of their dedication to their studies. By the time the marauders and Lily found themselves in Defense Against the Dark Arts, they were all ready for the bloody NEWTS to over. Unlike potions, Defense was not a mixture of all four houses. The class was only filled with Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, who were all currently whispering in anticipation of meeting their new professor. A silence fell over the room as a tall, gorgeous woman entered. She had darkly tanned skin and a mane of wild, black curls. She was fully cloaked in midnight blue colored robes, and her brown eyes screamed of the scrutiny she was currently subjecting them too.

"So you are my seventh years" her deep, velvety voice purred. Though she spoke English perfectly, there were slight traces of a Spanish accent to her speech. She raised one of her thick eyebrows interestingly, and surveyed the room once more.

"You are my students that I need to prepare the most, for after this year, you will be in the real world." Though she failed to mention the war, they all knew what she was implying. Her powerful presence had captivated her students, and even the Slytherins were waiting with baited breath to see how she was going to begin the year.

"I am Professor Cortez, and I have much, so much, to teach to you," She was so enthusiastic that she was dispersing an energy throughout the room that no one was even aware of until they felt their own energies buzzing. "Before I can teach you properly, I must assess you. So, to begin, I am going to pair you with a partner. Each pair will take the stage I am going to transfigure, and you are going to duel. Winners move on, and this will be a tournament of sorts. The last one standing wins 50 house points" excited murmurs broke out through the room.

"Now, to pair you off.."

Five minutes later, Lily found herself standing across from a Ravenclaw seventh year named Ashten Lin. She was a pretty Asian girl who, though very quiet, was rather skilled with a wand. How much of a dueler she was, Lily was uncertain, though she was about to find out. They bowed to each other in the center of the stage, took three steps away as was custom, and turned to take their beginning stances. She vaguely heard Professor Cortez call for them to begin dueling as her heart began pounding in her ears. She loved the adrenaline she felt in a duel, she loved how quick she had to be on her feet. Before she really even understood what she was doing, she was yelling jinxes and shields and moving at what felt like the speed of light but was really a fairly average speed. Lily's dueling style was careful, and calculating, but still not to be taken lightly. After fifteen grueling minutes, Lily had disarmed Ashten, who, though a decent dueler, was simply not powerful enough to overcome the passionate Gryffindor.

Alice and Marlene followed, with Alice defeating Marlene rather easily and slightly apologetically. Remus defeated a Ravenclaw boy named John Binds, while Peter was narrowly defeated by a Ravenclaw named Dean Abbott. James and Sirius clapped him on the shoulder, assuring him it was just rough luck. Both had breezed through their own respective battles, and several Ravenclaws dueled their own housemates as well as the tournament progressed. After an hour, those still standing had been narrowed to four: Lily was left to face Sirius, and James was to face Remus. Lily would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, but she would be damned if she let it show on her face. As she took the stage and bowed to her new dueling partner, she caught a glimpse of the smirk plastered across his face and was briefly aware that he was about to give her a great run for her money.

James watched in the crowd as Sirius and Lily shot spells at one another. Lily was doing well, but James knew Sirius better than to think he was trying his hardest. Not that Sirius would let her win, because that would never happen, he was just going trying to save his energy because he knew he'd end up facing James. James smirked at the thought.

He watched as Lily cleanly ducked a hex and realized how calculated her performance. Not that that was a bad thing, but dueling was so much more about intuition than what she was giving it credit for. You had to feel what you were doing. Lily and Remus were great duelers due to intelligence and practice, he mused. Sirius and himself were great duelers due to power and natural ability. As these thoughts rolled through James' head, he watched as Sirius disarmed Lily easily. She had lasted fifteen minutes, which was more than anyone else had last against him so that in itself deserved a Bravo. She congratulated him, shaking his hand and taking her seat with a slight huff. And now, James and Remus took the stage. They shook hands and grinned at each other like the old friends they were. _Finally. a worthy opponent._

As Lily watched Remus and James duel, she couldn't help but notice how similar Remus' fighting style was to hers. She could see the wheels turning in his head as he calculated both his opponent's and his own next moves, just the way that she did. For this reason, she knew that Potter was about to beat him. The battle was the quickest so far, as both shouted hexes and defense spells practically every other second. It was almost difficult to keep up with just being in the crowd. In the end, it was James who was victorious, but he shook Remus' hand like a gentleman and the two were able to laugh together about some joke he had made.

"Now comes the real fun" James called, and the crowd laughed lightly as Sirius took his cue and joined his best mate on the stage.

"Ahh, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black.. I have heard much about the two of you. Please, don't disappoint your reputations" Professor Cortez cooed, anticipating quite the show. The students were on the edges of their seats as well, as it was well known what fantastic duelers the two marauders were. No one could remember a time that they had ever dueled each other, however…

As the fighting commenced, Professor Cortez had to admit that in no way was she disappointed. Despite the rumors of their great feats that she had heard, she was even more impressed by their performance in person. The class gaped widely at the boys, as neither uttered a single word. They shot spell after powerful spell at the other without making a sound. _We aren't even supposed to cover nonverbals until halfway through this year_ Lily sneered inside her head, irritated that the two were so far ahead of her.

Their footwork was impeccable, their balance unshakeable. They made dueling look like an art form, and they themselves were the world's greatest artists, their work the most dangerously beautiful spectacle. Both their faces stayed cool and impassive, spare for an occasional smirk, but their passion and hunger was alive in their eyes. They knew each other so well that they knew what the other was thinking. James could read Sirius easily, as Sirius could read James. It would have been amusing, had it not been so enthralling. Fifteen minutes passed and neither showed any sign of weakness, no sign of falter. The class had not grown bored of the duel, however, as it was truly the most incredible display of magic that they had ever seen other students portray. At the twenty-minute mark, Sirius almost got caught by a jellylegs jinx. He spun quickly out of its way and recovered, but the momentum had already shifted in his opponents favor. James didn't let up, either, but sensing the moment of weakness, continued a vicious onslaught for the next ten minutes. Eventually, at the end of the half hour, James stunned Sirius and disarmed him, as the rest of the class clapped feverously. As James muttered a quick _Enervate_ and helped Sirius to his feet, they grinned at each other. Though extremely competitive in everything they did, neither would ever hold a grudge toward the other, and Sirius clapped James on the back and mumbled "Nice one, you tosser." Laughing, they rejoined their class in their seats.

Professor Cortez took the stage now, and they were all anxious to hear her analysis of their skills. They hushed, wondering how harsh the constructive criticism might be.

"Never in my 20 years of teaching," she began roughly, "have I seen students duel with such heart. You have assured me that you are not unaware of what is coming in the future for you, and some of you have clearly taken the time to prepare further than what is expected of you" she finished softly, her admiration for her new students shining brightly in her eyes. "Now that I have seen what you can do and what you are capable of, I know we have a great year ahead of us. I look forward to working with each and every one of you. Let me be clear early on, however. I do expect your full respect and attention, and in return I will give you mine. NEWT level Defense is no joke, but I will make it so that you enjoy and appreciate the art you are learning. Now, as we have gone slightly over our time frame for the day, I want to apologize for keeping you and wrap this up. Mr. Potter, 50 points to Gryffindor, and may I commend you on your incredible talent. Please come see me at any point in the year if you would like to discuss a career in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Class dismissed," she finished with a flourish, and smiling she disappeared back into her office, the stage disappearing along with her. The seventh year students shuffled into the hallway loudly, everyone chattering quickly in excitement.

As the marauders entered the hallway behind everyone else, they exchanged glances, all thinking the exact same thing. "That was wicked" Sirius voiced for the group, and the rest nodded their agreement.

The four boys, stomachs growling, made their way down to the Great Hall for lunch. Defense had ended around 1:15, and they mused that although seventh year had the hardest workload, it also had the best scheduling. They took their usual seats closest to the doorway and surveyed the platters of food before them. "Fish and chips or a turkey club?" James asked Sirius solemnly, as if choosing his lunch for the day would be the most important thing he did that day. "Seriously, Prongs? Don't make a pun. Both. We both know you'll be hungry far before dinner if you don't." They all laughed at the truth of the statement. After a couple of minutes of piling food onto their plates, they were joined by the three seventh year Gryffindor girls, much to their surprise. They had all always gotten along quite well with Marlene and Alice, and though the frost had greatly begun to melt when it came to Lily, the seven of them had never formed much of a group. The boys welcomed the change, however, thinking that it might make for a fun last year to grow closer to the girls.

"So how about that new defense teacher, ay? She's bloody brilliant" Marlene expressed, Alice and Lily both voicing their agreement.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for the year with her," James added his own opinion.

"Yeah Prongs, I'd be excited too if the hot new professor had a crush on me too" Sirius joked, earning a laugh from everyone but Lily. _Duly Noted_ , he thought to himself, mentally noting to speak to James about it later.

"She has good taste" James shrugged and winked to the group, to which Lily rolled her eyes. _Always so arrogant_ she thought to herself, though Marlene and Alice both found him amusing. She wondered for a brief second if she was simply clinging to old habits, stubbornly refusing to change her opinion of Potter, but she brushed the thought away as quickly as it came. She was brought out of her thoughts by Alice grabbing her shoulder and saying her name, shaking her lightly.

"Huh?" she mumbled unintelligently.

"Off in your own world a little there?" the brunette teased. Lily just nodded with a light smile. "We're all gonna head back to the Heads Quarters so you guys can show us around. Coming?" She nodded again and the group made their way to the seventh floor of the castle where they could find the painting of the tree with the apples. James easily gave the other three marauders his password, and Lily did the same with the girls.

Upon entering, the three boys and two girls had very similar reactions to Lily and James; they were amazed. Marlene and Alice immediately scurried up the stairs to see Lily's new room, while the marauders stayed downstairs lounging about the fireplace. After a few minutes of squealing and laughing and in Marlene's case, moaning her complaints about how much bigger Lily's closet was, the girls settled onto her bed to happily spend some time discussing their days.

Alice and Marlene shared with her how much they had actually enjoyed Divination today, and Lily told them all about how awful Professor Slughorn had been, a rare occasion for Lily. They talked about how nervous they were for all the homework, how different it was for Alice now that Frank wasn't here, and who Marlene was expecting to be her first boyfriend. After about an hour, Alice voiced the question she and Marlene had been wondering about all day.

"So," she began delicately, "how _is_ it living with a marauder? Particularly the one you despise."

"It's… different, than I thought. I mean, it's only been a day, so who really knows, but he really doesn't pay too much mind to me. We chatted for awhile last night and it was fine. He was just being friendly. And honestly, how can I really say I despise him anymore? He grew up, you know? They all did.. and they're really not so bad." she finished, trailing off slightly at the thoughts swirling in her head.

"Lily, doll, we've been telling you that for years" Marlene laughed.

"I know, I know, I guess with the whole Severus thing I just could never give them a proper chance. I have a feeling this year is going to be a lot different though" The other two agreed. "And you know, I may have forgotten to mention something else…"

"What?" Alice and Marlene questioned together, interest peaked.

"Last night, I accidentally went into the bathroom while he was still in there, and he was in nothing but a towel hanging around his hips…" Lily bit her lip as she blushed slightly.

"And?" Marlene smirked.

"And why didn't you guys ever tell me that the boy asking me out was going to grow up to be incredibly fit?" Lily scolded them jokingly. The other two burst into giggles.

"Oh Lily dear, he's _always_ been incredibly fit. We always wondered when you were going to realize." The redhead laughed in acknowledgement of her own incredible stubbornness. "Does this mean you fancy him now?"

"Oh don't even. It's just physical attraction, that's all" Lily assured her friends, though she had been trying all day to get the image of way he had passionately dueled in defense today out of her head.

"If you say so love. But speaking of the marauders, why don't we go see what those troublemakers are up to?" Alice and Lily nodded and followed Marlene out of the bedroom and down the stairs, where she took an awfully close seat next to Sirius on the plushy couch. Lily shot Alice an interested look, which she returned, but both said nothing as they took the remaining seats in the armchairs.

Lily was surprised to find herself laughing to the point of tears for the majority of the night. The marauders were as hilarious as everyone had always said, she realized. But more than that, occasionally when the conversation turned to slightly more serious matters, they were inquisitive, intelligent, and just downright interesting. She loved hearing their opinions on the new Minister of Magic's political campaigns. She was surprised to find out that for the most part, they were all sure what they wanted from their futures. And lastly, she was stunned by the fact that none of them seemed very afraid to leave Hogwarts, spare for Peter who really didn't say much on that topic. James, in particular, seemed excited and ready to get out into the real world, "into the action" as he had put it. She was taken aback that the King of Hogwarts was so adamant to leave his Kingdom behind, but then she reasoned she really didn't know that much about him to begin with. After hours of the group talking, she found that was very intrigued to learn more. When seven o'clock rolled around, the boys offered to go get them some food and drinks from the Kitchens and to eat dinner in their common room, and the girls happily accepted.

"How do they know where the kitchens are?" Alice questioned bewilderingly.

"They're the marauders," Marlene answered pointedly. "What don't they know about this castle?" Lily laughed and added her own two cents, that they knew much more than what was good for them. The boys returned shortly with arms full of butterbeers and platters of mashed potatoes and steak and kidney pie. As the seven teenagers happily stuffed their faces, they all were thinking the same thing: They could really get used to this whole big group thing.

11 o'clock rolled around rather quickly, and found Lily yawning largely in her seat. The marauders bid James a goodnight, and Marlene and Alice made Lily promise them a slumber party sometime soon. She chuckled and agreed, only slightly missing the companionship of having roommates. When the room had cleared out, she realized it was only her and the bespectacled, messy haired marauder left. For some reason, this made her quite uncomfortable, and she cleared her throat for lack of anything to say.

James, seeming to sense Lily's discomfort, made to get up from the couch to go to bed, but Lily found she kind of wanted the alone time with him. _I mean, we should spend some time getting to know each other as Heads, shouldn't we?_ she justified to herself. "You did well today" she heard herself saying, although where the foreign words were coming from she had no clue. "In defense" she added quickly when his brow had furrowed.

"Oh right, thanks. Sirius and I rarely get the chance to compete against each other. It makes for great sport" he joked. She nodded lamely, and after a slight moment of silence, he continued, "You're not so bad yourself, Evans."

"You should call me Lily" His ever-cool face betrayed his surprise for the briefest of seconds. "I mean, we're Head Boy and Head Girl, and I think I'd like us to be friends" She was worried he would find her annoying, and she couldn't remember any time in her life that she had ever felt self conscious the way that she did now.

"Sure, Lily. I think that would be for the best." he replied smoothly, his mask of indifference firmly back in place. She studied his features for a moment, liking the way the firelight reflected in his eyes.

"Well, then, James, if we're going to be friends, I think I should know a little bit more about you" she stated boldly, the false confidence in her voice relaxing her slightly.

"What do you want to know?" _Everything,_ she wanted to reply, but she held her tongue.

"Whatever you want to tell me" she said carelessly, thinking to herself that two could play this game. James studied the beautiful girl in front of him, for the first time really wondering what this year would hold for them.

"Alright then," he began, sighing lightly. "I guess we can start with some basics. My parents are Harold and Charlotte Potter, both aurors for the Ministry of Magic. I'm an only child, and quite a surprise to my parents at the age of 50. Hence why I was such a spoiled little brat when I got here" he joked lightheartedly, and Lily laughed appreciatively. "I grew up on expensive foods and dining, but mac'n'cheese is my favorite. Especially the kind made in shapes. Until last year, I could never picture myself doing anything but playing quidditch for the rest of my life. And my favorite color is grey, because it reminds me of Sirius" he finished quietly, staring into the fire. _Thank goodness those boys are so comfortable in their sexuality,_ Lily thought, _or people would really get the wrong idea about them._ Lily sighed contentedly, processing the information, and then realized he was waiting for some kind of response from her.

"My parents names are Rose and Dean Evans, who own a grocery shop together in my hometown, which is also Snape's hometown" she began, "That's why we were best friends; he's the one who first told me I was a witch," she watched his expression carefully, but thankfully no anger sprang to it. "My favorite food is mashed potatoes, hence why I was so excited when you lot showed up with it tonight." His mouth curved into a slight smile, and she couldn't help but let her eyes linger on the curve of his lips. "I want to be a healer. It's really the only thing I've ever considered. I guess I just figured that with my knack for potions, it'd be a really great way to help people, you know?" He nodded understandingly, and she could feel his eyes searching her face now. Against her will, a blush crept into her cheeks, but she continued on, "and my favorite color is green, because I've always thought my eyes were the only thing that really made me stand out" she finished quietly. She raised her eyes to meet his, and they stayed that way for a few minutes.

"You never cease to surprise me, Evans" he murmured. She didn't know if it was the warmth of the fireplace or the intensity of his gaze, but the heat of this moment felt palpable to her.

"Lily" she reminded him. He stood slowly, and giving her one last look, quietly said "Goodnight, then, Lily." His hand brushed her arm as he walked past her to the stairs, and she told herself that the goose bumps that rose were just because his hand was slightly cold. Lily stayed that way in front of the fire for another hour and so, contemplating all that had happened that day. As she finally rose from her seat and traveled up her own stairs to her bedroom, she lay down thinking that something in the air had changed entirely, she just wasn't quite sure what it was.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note:

Sorry the updates are taking forever! School has been really crazy lately. I'm so thankful for the people who have favorited or followed this story, and especially for anyone that leaves reviews! I'm trying really hard to slowly but surely develop James in the way that I picture him, and I'd love to hear back from anyone with any kind of feedback on how that is going!

The first week of classes passed by in a blur for the seventh year students. They had heard about the importance of NEWTS at the beginning of every single class and had received mountains upon mountains of homework at the end. By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, even Lily wasn't quite sure how she was going to manage. She made her way back from the greenhouses with James after a particularly grueling Herbology lessonerHerh, and upon reaching the heads quarters, promptly collapsed onto one of the couches. James snorted at her antics and went upstairs to change out of his uniform. When he returned in a wife-beater and a pair of grey sweatpants, she was still lying in the same facedown position. Laughing again, he questioned, "Is it safe for me to leave you here alone?" She grumbled something incoherent into the pillow but managed to turn herself over to face him.

"Where ya going?" she asked curiously, forcing her eyes to meet his and not trail down his openly displayed biceps. _I really need to get my hormones under control this year._

"For a run" he replied, smiling happily at the thought.

"Didn't you go for a run at like, 5 this morning?" she questioned incredulously, wondering what could possibly motivate someone to subject themself to running twice in one day.

"Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow. I need to get conditioned," he shrugged.

"You're mental" Lily called after him as he exited the quarters and heard him chuckle in reply. She sighed in contentment, thinking how easily they had adjusted to being friendly. She allowed herself to wonder briefly how they had ever been on such hostile terms, but with that thought brought thoughts of Severus, and so she pushed it to the back of her mind. She still knew very little about James, but living with him was helping her to understand his complex personality a little bit better.

She was beginning to see past the loyal, brave Gryffindor persona that had always shone so brightly in James Potter. Of course, that was still there, but the layers below it were far more intriguing to her. She had begun to notice how carelessly at ease James always was. Save for the rare occasion that he lost his temper, it seemed as though nothing could really shake his cool exterior. Sometimes it was unnerving, because he could so effortlessly make you feel like you weren't worth his time. It also baffled Lily, who as a redhead was always flustered easily. She was already stressing about the mountain of homework waiting for her, whereas James was unconcerned. She worried about the amount of time her head duties were going to require, whereas James took them in stride. He also managed his quidditch team, his own personal workouts, and made time for his annoyingly charming trio of mates. She really couldn't fathom how he did it, but was secretly glad for his collectedness. They balanced each other well as Head Boy and Girl in that way. Where Lily grew flustered, James stayed calm, and where James displayed arrogance, Lily was modest. _It's only been a week, though_ she mused, _so let's see how long this lasts._

Outside the castle, James felt the warm breeze flutter against his skin and immediately his body was at ease. He began to jog lightly, making his way toward the Black Lake. As he neared the water, he picked up speed until he reached his typical pace. His feet pounded against the ground rhythmically, and for the thousandth time he thought to himself how much he loved the sound. His strides were long, his form perfected. He could feel the wind flowing past him as he gracefully cut his way through the air, feeling completely at one with the breeze. Sirius had always told him that he looked in his element running, like a deer, which became increasingly ironic over the years. He liked running, though. When he ran, his mind was almost entirely clear. The only thoughts he had currently were about his aching anticipation to be doing this with his quidditch team tomorrow. _We're going to be the best_ he thought to himself, and with that thought he pushed himself to run even faster.

About 5 miles and 30 minutes later, James lay at the edge of the Black Lake panting. His run had felt glorious, though it left his body exhausted. He caught his breath as he looked up at the sky, and eventually managed to lift himself from the ground and begin the trek to the castle. Absorbed in his own thoughts, he was rather oblivious to the group of girls now sitting by the lake, watching his every move and desperately hoping for his attention. It was better that he hadn't, though, for he found it rather pathetic. He didn't like to indulge them the way that Sirius sometimes did, because then they would think he cared about their attention. And really, if he was being painfully honest, James couldn't give a flying fuck less.

His legs burned as he climbed stair after stair, and by the time he reached the portrait of the apple tree, he had decided to reward his tired body with a nap. He entered the heads quarters and was met with an empty room. Too exhausted to climb any more stairs, he discarded his now sweaty wife beater to the side and allowed his body to collapse on the same couch Lily had fallen onto earlier. He drifted into sleep quickly, with images of brooms and quaffles floating through his dreams.

Lily entered the heads quarters an hour later after enjoying a quick lunch with Marlene and Alice. The three girls clambered through the portrait hole and were greeted with a shirtless marauder lying dead asleep on the couch. He had one arm stretched above his head, the other lying carelessly across his chiseled abdomen. His normally messy hair was sticking up more than usual from the wind outside, and Lily could see faint stubble forming on his jawline and chest from not taking the time to shave that morning. There was a clear, raw sexuality emitting from him being in such a masculine, bare state. Marlene and Alice took a moment to soak in the sight and made to get a closer look, until Lily whispered her disapproval and, laughing, they followed her up the stairs into her room.

"Bloody hell, Lily" Marlene chimed as soon as she stepped through the door. "How in the world are you going to keep your virginity with _that_ lying around?!"

"Some of us are capable of keeping our legs closed, Marls" the redhead joked, earning a laugh from Alice and a scowl from the girl in question.

"I am more than capable, Lilypad. I just don't always choose to. And speaking of which, I think I have a new target" she smirked. It was no secret around Hogwarts that Marlene had been with more than a couple boys, but the fact had never really bothered Lily. The blonde girl was fiercely loyal and an incredibly friend, and what she chose to do with her body was her business. Plus, Marlene was never sleazy about it. She only slept with boys she dated, she just happened to have had quite a few boyfriends.

"Who?" Lily and Alice asked in unison, excited that a prospect had presented himself so quickly.

"Well.." she hesitated, unsure of her friends' reactions, "I think I want to try Sirius on for size." Lily and Alice exchanged a quick glance, their expressions mirroring each other.

"Marlene," Alice began gently, "Sirius isn't really the type of guy you date. You know that." Lily nodded in agreement.

"I do know that, which is why I have no intention of dating him."

"Don't you think that's a little…." Lily trailed off, not wanting to offend her friend.

"Look" Marlene cut in, "It's our last year and then it's off to the big world. I just want someone to not be so serious with… Oh God that was such a pun" she chuckled. "But seriously, I just don't want to get caught up in feelings this year when we don't know what next year has in store for us. And if there's anything Sirius is good for, it's not developing feelings."

"Alright, well you know we support you no matter what. Just don't let it get ugly, yeah? I rather like having that lot around." Lily nodded, surprisingly agreeing. They had already spent a lot of time with the marauders in the one week they had been back at the castle, and all parties involved rather enjoyed the arrangement. The girls were surprised at how easily they took to Peter's quirkiness, and how outgoing Remus could be when he was only with his mates. More often than not, both the boys and girls could be found in the Heads Common room, but Lily really didn't mind.

The girls were interrupted in their further discussion awhile later by a knock at the door. "Come in" Lily called, expecting James. Surprisingly, it was Sirius who stuck his head through the door. _Speak of the devil._

"Hello ladies," he greeted smoothly. "We were wondering if you would like to accompany us down to dinner?"

"Is it that time already?" The girls must have been talking for a few hours!

"It is" he confirmed, "and my stomach is growling, so we will be leaving shortly. You coming?" He tilted his head to the side and smiled, reminding Lily faintly of a playful puppy. He exited her room and the girls followed him down the stairs to where Remus, Peter, and James were waiting. The girls, still in their school uniforms, regretted not changing once they saw the boys had already switched to casual attire. Sirius was dressed in light jeans and a plain black sweater, which constrasted incredibly with his smooth, alabaster skin. Remus had chosen a dark navy hoodie with nicely fitted khakis, and Lily found that the look really suited him. Even Peter looked casually stylish, with a grey-sleeved baseball tee and dark jeans. As she moved to observe James' choice of clothing, she couldn't deny the conclusion that muggle clothing really brought out the best in him. He wore a simple white v-neck that drew every girl's eyes straight to his muscular chest, paired with black jeans and white tennis shoes. His glasses somehow completed the look, and she found herself envious that the four boys in front of her were so effortlessly gorgeous. (Well, mostly three of them, but still.)

"Aren't we such lucky gals, to be escorted to dinner by the four best looking boys in the school" Alice drawled, only half sarcastically.

"Careful, Prewett. You're a taken woman remember" James winked. The group laughed and began making their way to the Great Hall, chatting amicably. They were following the boys through one of their many shortcuts when they suddenly found their path blocked. A few Slytherins had been wandering the corridors, _likely just looking for trouble,_ Lily thought to herself, and were now standing in their way. The atmosphere shifted rapidly, the air thick with tension. Lily's eyes met Severus' and she quickly noted how cowardly he looked flanking Avery and . _Disgusting,_ she shook her head.

"Avery" James drawled lazily. "What can we do for you?" His face was impassive, his demeanor relaxed, yet his wand had already discretely found its way into his right hand.

"Potter" Avery snarled. "Still surrounding yourself with mudbloods and half bloods I see." At some point in the brief encounter, the four boys had come to the front of the group, and the three girls found themselves standing behind them. _Bloody Gryffindors and their chivalry, Lily rolled her eyes._

"Funny, that. When I look at the unintelligent berks you choose to waste your time with, I can't fathom how you could insult the company I keep."

"Watch who you're calling unintelligent, Potter" Snape spat his name with such venom that Lily thought he surely hated James more than any other being on the earth. James laughed, a dry, humorless laugh, and Lily found she hated how cruel it sounded. His eyes had darkened, faint traces of anger laced through them.

"What's wrong, Snivellus? Still can't face the fact that you fall far below us in the class ranks?" Sirius inserted himself into the conversation. "You could go whine about it to Evans some more… but wait.. She's here with us, isn't she?" He smirked arrogantly, clearly enjoying hitting a nerve with Snape. Though there was no shouting or physical fighting, the girls could feel the tension in the air continuing to grow. If the situation wasn't handled soon, they knew from experience the outcome would be more than ugly. Even Remus, the calm one of the group, had drawn his wand.

"That's enough!" Lily stepped to the front, not happy to be used as a pawn in an immature group of boys' game. As she did so, however, Snape, who had been waiting to curse Sirius, took his shot. Sirius, whose attention was on Lily, was unprepared to block the jinx. Finding herself caught in the crossfire, the Langlock jinx hit Lily square in the chest. She was knocked back for a moment, and turned furiously to the culprit. The greasy-haired Slytherin didn't even have the decency to look ashamed, and she found herself itching to curse back. Due to her tongue being stuck to the roof of her mouth, however, she found herself unable. Luckily, before any of them could even blink, James and Remus had disarmed the entire group of Slytherins.

"20 points from Slytherin for cursing your Head Girl, and might I commend you on your incredible abilities to be disarmed so easily. It's like playing with children" James cooed mockingly. "I suggest you start looking for your wands now. It will probably take you all weekend" and with that, he vanished the three boys' wands in his hand. The Slytherins eyes widened furiously, but outnumbered and weaponless, they stalked away.

"This isn't over, Potter" Avery seethed.

"Looking forward to it, Avery," he called after him. Seconds later, the Gryffindors were left alone in the corridor once again.

Lily stomped her foot angrily and quietly screeched, and Marlene and Alice realized they had been so caught up in the fight that no one had bothered to counter-jinx Lily. "Sorry Lils," Marlene apologized guiltily. "We kind of forgot" The redhead would have laughed had she not been so irritated.

"What the bloody hell did you have to provoke them for?" Lily immediately turned on James.

"Me? You're serious?" he drawled, laughing lazily. "They came looking for a fight." His cool demeanor was firmly in place, picking at his nails and hardly bothering to pay her any mind. She knew he was already annoyed, and that this wasn't the right time for this argument, but she was so damned aggravated at having been cursed and getting into a fight in the first week of school that she couldn't help herself.

"Do I look like I'm joking, Potter?" she snapped. "Just because they wanted a fight doesn't mean you had to give them one. You're Head Boy for merlin's sake." James laughed, the same dry, humorless one as before. He looked at her as though pitying her, and she found she felt like squirming under the spiteful gaze.

"Back to Potter, are we?" He smirked. "Grow up, Evans. We didn't do the hexing here. I took points away like the good little Head Boy you want me to be, didn't I?" and without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked away, the other marauders following in his wake. Interestingly, Alice noticed James handing Sirius back his wand as they walked away, and made a mental note to bring it up later.

"Well, that was fun," she remarked sarcastically, and Marlene grimaced in response. "C'mon guys, might as well still get some dinner," the brunette sighed. Lily, whose stomach was growling, agreed, though she was still rather flustered by the most recent altercation. _Bloody Potter._

For the first time that week, the seventh year Gryffindor girls and boys ate their dinners separately. The marauders were seemingly unaffected, joking around and laughing as loudly as ever. Lily, Marlene, and Alice, however, ate in silence. Lily was lost in thoughts of James and Severus, and Marlene and Alice were keeping quiet because they weren't sure what exactly she was upset about. Eventually, Lily looked up from her green beans and potatoes, and asked, "Did I overreact?" quietly and unsure. Marlene and Alice shared a knowing look, and Marlene answered, "I mean, that's how you've always reacted to them fighting with the Slytherins in the past, so.." she trailed off, unsure of where to go from there. "So you think I've always overreacted then?" Lily snapped, irritated and tired from the entire day.

"That's not what I said. Someone has to put the marauders in their place sometimes, and it's always been you to do it. I don't know why it's bothering you so much this time is all," Marlene admonished.

Lily sighed. She didn't really know either. "I guess I just feel bad because Potter and I have been working so well together so far and I was rather quick to jump on him."

"I'm sure you'd love to be quick to jump on him. I know I would," Alice quipped. The two giggled maniacally as Lily's eyes widened.

"Alice Prewett!" she scolded jokingly, and the girls fell into a fit of giggles, glad for the tension to have settled. When the laughter cleared, Alice looked up and noticed the marauders staring at them. Her eyes met Sirius's, and she suddenly remembered what she had seen earlier.

"Guys! I forgot to mention.. After Lily snapped on the boys earlier," Alice began, to which Lily cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Sorry" she winced lightly at the redhead. "But anyways, when they were walking away, James handed Sirius his wand. I think he disarmed Sirius too when he did the Slytherins. Isn't that strange?"

"Maybe it was an accident?" Marlene shrugged, not seeming too interested in the matter.

"James and Remus have some of the best spell work in our year, I don't see how they would have hit him by accident." Alice persisted.

"How did none of us notice?" Lily pondered, her brow furrowed.

"I don't know, I mean, they did it so quickly. Their spells hardly flashed before they had all of the Slytherins' wands. I guess it wouldn't have been hard to miss it. The real question is why he did it.."

Down the table, the boys were having a similar conversation. "You know, as far as you and Evans' fights go, this one was rather mild," Remus pointed out.

"I don't even consider it a fight, honestly mate. She just overreacted in typical Evans fashion." James shrugged, unperturbed. The fiery redhead had spent their first five years of school screaming at him; today didn't even deserve a second thought.

"Still don't know what you ever saw in her" Sirius commented, sending a glance the girls way.

"That was ages ago, mate. I was a kid" James replied, sparing a glance at the redhead that lasted a little longer than normal when she turned and caught his eye. "Let's head back to the common room, yeah? Maybe we can go for a fly tonight." Peter groaned at the thought, knowing he wouldn't be able to talk his friends out of not making him go. Sirius barked a laughed and threw an arm around his short friends shoulder as they exited the Hall. "Now c'mon Wormy, it won't be so bad."

The girls took their time eating dinner before heading out after the boys. Alice and Lily, needing to start on their Care of Magical Creatures essay, parted ways with Lily and headed to the Gryffindor Common Room. Sighing, Lily trudged her way back up to the heads quarters. She was relieved to find it empty, reveling in finally getting a moment to her own thoughts. She figured she should explain to the marauders that she was just frustrated and stressed with their first week of school, and was probably out of line yelling at them like that. Really, they hadn't even cursed back, and in years past, that would never have been the case.

She sat in front of the fire for about a half an hour before deciding to get started on her own homework. She headed up the stairs to grab a quill and some parchment and could hear the boys enter next door into James's room. _They must have come in through the window,_ she realized, and wondered briefly if she should return to the common room or stay in her room. Shaking her head at how meek she was being, she grabbed her things and marched back out of her room, only to come face to face with James himself.

"Oh, sorry" she said lamely, attempting to make her way around him. His hair was windblown again, and her previous thought that they had been out flying was confirmed. He raked a hand through it, attempting to flatten it, but it immediately sprang back out.

"Are you ready?" he questioned, catching Lily slightly off guard.

"I'm sorry?" she replied.

"We have rounds tonight, Evans," he reminded her. She scolded herself for not remembering and felt slightly flustered at being caught off guard.

"Shit, you're right. I can't believe I forgot" her cheeks reddened slightly. "Yeah, I'm ready, Potter. Let's get going." He motioned for her to walk down the stairs first, and as they made their way into the corridor, Lily found herself feeling increasingly awkward. They had rounds together for the next hour, and so far the first five minutes had been spent in complete silence.

"So…," she began awkwardly, not sure how to start the conversation.

"You don't have to apologize, Evans. It's no big deal" he finished for her.

"Who says I was going to, Potter?" she replied, feeling her temper flare slightly. He quirked an eyebrow at her in response, and the feeling was washed away.

"Okay, so I was going to apologize" she laughed. "Old habits die hard, yknow?" He waved a hand in response understandingly, and she felt a little bit more at ease.

"So tryouts are tomorrow, yeah?" Lily continued, trying to play to his interests. He couldn't help but smile at her effort, and they quickly launched into a conversation about the new prospects. They laughed as if nothing had ever happened earlier. Lily didn't even notice as her body subconsciously began to walk closer to him, letting her arm brush his and feeling the heat in response to it.

An hour later, they climbed back through their portrait hole and sat in front of the fire together. The marauders were nowhere to be found, and Lily wondered briefly if they would be returning or if it was just she and James for the night.

"They're running a couple of errands" James answered her thoughts vaguely. She was unnerved at how easily he could see what she was thinking, but simply nodded in response. She wondered what their "errands" could possibly be, and realized she most likely didn't want to know. She briefly thought about what her mates were up to, and was reminded about the conversation they had had at dinner. She looked up at James to find him staring into the fire. Was it even worth asking?

"Did you disarm Sirius today?" Lily asked abruptly, not bothering to beat around the bush. _Never really was much of my style._ James grinned lightly, responding, "You caught that, ay?" She nodded, and waited for him to continue. "Well then I spose' there's no use in denying it."

"Why would you disarm your mate?" He sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. "It's kind of a long story," he admitted, not sure how willing he was to tell it.

"I've got time" she shrugged, and knowing her curiosity was peaked, he nodded. Looking back into the fire, he began, "I mean, I can't tell you all of it, so you're going to have to accept that. There are some marauders' secrets that are never meant to be told," she laughed at that, though James was completely serious. His brow furrowed. "I don't know if you heard anything about it, but last year the four of us got into a bit of a row." She remembered it well. The school had practically self destructed when it became clear its most famous quartet had seemingly fallen apart.

"I knew you were in a fight," Lily replied. "But no one ever said what it was about. Well, besides for some rather disturbing rumors." James laughed in response, recalling a particularly nasty rumor he had heard about himself and Sirius's mum. "None of which were true," he assured. "Sirius had a really tough year last year. The summer before it, he left his home for good. I know you know that it's never been easy for him there, though he doesn't like to admit it. Well that summer, it got…bad. Really bad. He showed up on my doorstep bloody and barely breathing." She couldn't hide the shock from her face. She had never quite realized how awful Sirius truly had it until now. She absorbed the information as the bespectacled boy in front of her continued, "Mum cleaned him up, and of course she and my dad were more than happy to take him in. They actually formally adopted him. And Sirius loved it, he really did. But when he got the letter that he was officially disowned, it was still hard for him, at the same time." He paused for a moment, and she could tell he was reliving it all.

"We had a really good summer together, but when we got back to school, things were a lot worse with the Slytherins. Particularly Regulus. Sirius likes to pretend he doesn't harbor a soft spot for the kid, but I know him better than that." James sighed again, and she couldn't help but wonder where exactly the story was going. "Anyways, towards the end of the year, there was a lot of rumors going around that the Slytherins were getting involved in some dark stuff." Lily snorted. "As if that's anything new" she joked, and James gave her a light smile.

"Look, I really don't want to have to be the one to say this to you, because I'm not really sure how much you know or have come to terms with.. but they're death eaters Lily. Obviously not all of them, but there's about five that already have the mark." She gaped at him disbelievingly. "They're in school, James. Surely you're mistaken" she insisted, not understanding how that could even happen.

"I'm not, though. My dad isn't just an auror, Lily. He's the Head Auror. And he told me, because he wanted me to keep an eye on them. Anyways, Snape-he's one of them, Evans. And I know you don't want to hear the being confirmed, but it's true." Though she had known it would happen eventually, it felt like a knife had been twisted in her heart. She wanted to retch at the thought of the ink hiding below his uniform, ink that represented his desire to kill…Kill people like her. She found all she could do was nod at James, unable to form words.

"Sirius has always hoped that Regulus wouldn't go for it. We all knew he was never going to leave the way Sirius did; the kid just doesn't have the backbone. But Sirius couldn't let go of the idea that he wouldn't actually serve Voldemort." She met his eyes sharply as he said the name, but found she respected his lack of respect for it. His strong jaw was set, his eyes a storm of all of his thoughts.

"Well, toward the end of last year, that idea was blown to bits, to be frank. Sirius had the ma-er, he had detention. And he found Snape and Regulus talking in one of the secret passageways he was taking. He eavesdropped, obviously, and Snape was trying to persuade Regulus to meet with their beloved Dark Lord. Sirius- he just sort of snapped, I guess. He gets so angry sometimes, and he wasn't thinking" He was trying to make her understand, but she still didn't know what had happened yet.

"Did he curse them really badly, or something?" she asked, wondering what the worst Sirius Black would really do was. James shook his head, "No, no. He didn't do anything just then. Didn't react, didn't say anything. He came back from his detention that night and I just knew from the look on his face that something was wrong, but he went straight into his bed and drew the hangings. We had important marauder plans for the next night, and Sirius hadn't been seen all day. Apparently, he had went and found Snape, having decided on his perfect revenge. And he told him something- a marauder secret" Lily frowned, not seeing how this could result in two months of the boys not speaking. "Our biggest secret. And he made it out to be this big prank, thinking it was going to be brilliant. But he could have killed him."

"His prank was meant to kill Snape?" Lily whispered furiously, unable to understand. "What do you even mean?"

"I can't tell you, Lily, Marauder's Honor. But no, he didn't mean it to kill him, he just didn't think."

"So what happened then?" she pushed further, invested into the story more than she realized. "Did Snape figure it out?"

"Not quite," He snorted derisively, hesitating for a moment. "Sirius came and told us what he had done, Peter and I, just moments before our plans were set to take place. And I was furious, I was so angry. He couldn't understand why I was mad because like I said, he just wasn't thinking in his right mind. I got there just in time," he admitted quietly.

"You? You went and saved Snape?" James nodded, not looking her in the eye. "Look, I'm not trying to play myself up here, it's just what happened. Anyways, Sirius realized what he did finally, and Dumbledore really laid into him. He was almost expelled. Afterward, I laid into him even worse, and that's the first and only time I've ever seen Sirius cry," he admitted, unable to stop the details from coming out now. "I couldn't look at him for days, I was just so angry."

Lily looked at James in a different light, for the first time really seeing the hero that the rest of Hogwarts saw him as. "Anyway, Sirius has been through a lot, a lot more than anyone our age should ever go through. And he has a great heart. We got over it, eventually. Remus took the longest, but we're brothers. All of us. And you love your family no matter what they do." He finished resolutely. Lily nodded, processing everything she had just heard.

"So what does that have to do with today?" Lily asked, not quite putting the pieces together.

"Oh, I had forgotten. Well, Sirius is on probation. Hence the lack of pranks" he shared, and she suddenly realized how long it had been since a true marauder's prank had been pulled.

"So you disarmed him because you knew he would retaliate," she confirmed, all of it suddenly making sense.

"He's irrational" James said. "And I have to look out for him."

"You're not responsible for his immature actions, James" Lily voiced her thoughts without thinking, and the moment shifted rapidly. His eyes pierced hers, and his face shifted into a mask of disgust.

"You know nothing about him, Evans. He would have retaliated for you, and I disarmed him because we all know good girl Lily Evans would have reported him" he sneered, and without saying another word, climbed the stairs to his room. Lily's cheeks flared red, and she wanted to shout at herself for always saying the wrong thing when it came to James Potter. She liked Sirius, she really did. She hadn't _meant_ it like that, just that James didn't have to feel so bloody responsible. She climbed the stairs after him, staring at his door and debating knocking before giving up and entering her own room instead. Changing into her pajamas, she lay down and told herself that the gnawing feeling in her stomach was just guilt for not being more sensitive to the situation, and not because James Potter had a knack for making her feel like the smallest person in the world.


	5. Chapter 4

James woke up the next morning, groaning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was used to waking up early for his morning runs, but judging by the darkness outside, it was far earlier than 5:00. He turned restlessly, silently begging his body to let him fall back asleep. After 15 minutes, he gave up and made his way into the bathroom. He skipped his shower, seeing as he would need one after tryouts anyway, and simply brushed his teeth and washed off his face. Sighing, he thought to himself how stressful the day was about to be, but he couldn't ignore the tingling excitement flowing through his entire body. _Quidditch is back._ He couldn't help but smile.

Once dressed and ready, he checked his watch to find it was still only 4 a.m. Tryouts weren't to begin for another 4 hours, and breakfast wouldn't be served until 7 since it was Saturday. He thought about going for a fly to get warmed up for the day, but quickly ruled out the thought, as the wind seemed to be particularly strong. He resigned himself to the only other option he really had.. _Might as well knockout a couple of essays._ Grabbing a quill, inkpot, and some parchment, he headed down the stairs to sit in front of the fire and actually get some work done.

By the time Lily came down the stairs at 6:45, he had finished his Transfiguration essay, his Potions essay, his diagram for Herbology, and mastered several spells ahead of time for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He sighed contentedly and ran a hand through his hair as his redheaded roommate joined him by the fire. He was struck by the memory of his annoyance from the previous night and felt slightly guilty, a rather new feeling for him. James had never been great about apologizing; most people didn't expect him to because he was bloody James Potter, and he was pretty skilled at not being caught when he didn't want to be. There were 5 people he had ever apologized to in his entire life because he had deemed them worth the effort: his parents and his three brothers, the Marauders. But looking over at the nervous, beautiful girl sitting in front of him, he could feel the words gnawing at his throat.

"Good morning," he greeted her, and she nodded in response. She opened her mouth to try to break the tension, but he cut her off quickly. "Look, Lil, about last night.." she smiled softly at the shortening of her name. "I shouldn't have snapped at you so quickly. It's just, I've spent years defending Sirius against the Slytherins and his family and whoever else, I guess it's just habit at this point." It wasn't quite a full apology, but she knew that he was trying.

"It's okay" she replied sincerely. "I didn't mean the comment the way it sounded. You know I adore Sirius, right? All of you guys are a lot better mates than I ever gave you credit for." She blushed profusely, wondering why the hell she felt the need to let that last bit out. He smiled, a genuine smile, and her blush deepened. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Do you wanna head down to breakfast? It's about 7."

"Shit, yeah. We should get down there. I want to be at the pitch by 7:30," he agreed, and they left their common room together heading towards the Great Hall. Upon reaching the double doors, James opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for her to go through first. "James Potter, a gentleman? Who would've thought," she winked at him. He smirked and shook his head, following her in. He tried horribly not to let his gaze trail her backside, but it was increasingly difficult as she was dressed in a rather tight-fitted pair of jeans. He had paid her such little attention their past school year that he had missed her transforming into an incredibly figured young woman. Lily had always been pretty, of course, but with the sunlight streaming through the Great Hall this fresh, early morning, James felt his attention captivated by her.

Lily sat with James near the doors, and soon Remus, Peter, and Sirius joined them. Sirius grinned broadly as he sat down, and James clapped his best mate on the shoulder, knowing he was just as excited to get started with the season as he was. They quickly launched into a discussion about tactics and drills and conditioning, and it only took about two minutes before Lily had tuned them out. Her gaze lingered on James for just a moment, as was becoming increasingly common nowadays. She turned back to her breakfast to find Remus giving her a knowing look. "What?" she questioned defensively.

"Oh nothing," he answered innocently, though his devilish smirk gave him away. She narrowed her eyes at his expression and replied, "These two are a bad influence on you, Remus." This drew Sirius's attention, who barked a laugh.

"Remus is the bad influence on us, Lily-pad," he assured her, his charming grim and widened eyes firmly in place to affirm his statement. She snorted at that, and James, with a perfectly straight face, said, "She doubts us, Padfoot."

"Well then we must change her mind, Prongs," Sirius answered just as solemnly. The two ducked their heads together and began whispering conspiringly, and Lily merely groaned in response. Marlene and Alice joined the group moments later, and Lily happily ignored the plotting boys and struck up a conversation with the two. Marlene was telling the girls about a new novel she had picked up right before the term started, and so Remus eagerly joined the discussion. Peter was a little too invested in piling food into his mouth to partake in the discussion, and at some point during it James and Sirius had stood and announced their departure for the pitch.

A half an hour later, with their stomachs filled and moods bright, the group decided to make their way down to the quidditch pitch to evaluate the new Gryffindor prospects. Most of the group was avid fans, but Lily would be lying if she said she was a big fan of the game. In reality, she had only seen a few of the matches throughout her years. But as this was her last year at Hogwarts, and she was becoming rather good mates with the Gryffindor captain, she felt her interest in the sport peaking.

By the time they reached the pitch, it was about 8:15, and James already had tryouts in full swing. Unlike the rest of the Hogwarts teams, the Gryffindor team never practiced in their quidditch gear. James and Sirius had both always preferred muggle sweats and t-shirts, and the rest of the team just seemed to follow their lead. The girls found themselves thankful for this, as it was a fairly warm day and many of the lads were sporting no shirt. The group situated themselves right in the middle of the stands with a perfect view of the entire pitch, but amongst all the chaos going on, Lily struggled to tear her eyes from the Captain. It was enthralling to see him in his element, giving orders and demonstrating drills. He was an artist on a broom, the sky was like his canvas, and he painted it beautifully. As Lily finally managed to draw her gaze away, she noticed keenly that Marlene was doing the same thing she had been, only towards another marauder. She elbowed her playfully and whispered, "Anything going on there yet?" Marlene sighed in response but smiled and answered, "Unfortunately, only some harmless flirting. I'm not as comfortable being as forward with him now that we're all mates." Lily nodded understandingly, but encouraged her nonetheless. "Just feel it out a little bit more, you'll figure it out. You've never not gotten the guy." Marlene laughed in response to that and seemed to brighten up a bit. Probably because she knew it was true.

The seventh year Gryffindors spent the better part of their morning at the tryouts, chatting happily and spouting off opinions about the hopeful prospects. Remus and Peter in particular were very into it, Peter rather viciously criticizing a second year boy who had wanted to try out for keeper but could hardly stay on his broom. "What the bloody hell does he even think he's doing? He has no business being anywhere near our team."

"Peter" Alice laughed, surprised at his ferocity. Peter blushed and chuckled an apology, explaining his allegiance to the game due to his best mates. They all understood, though. If Gryffindors took anything seriously, it was definitely their quidditch team. By the time noon rolled around, Lily could not believe they had been at the pitch for four hours. It had felt like a mere fifteen minutes, but she guessed that's what happened when you were mucking around with your mates. They watched as James gathered all the tryouts in the middle, giving a nice little speech about their performance and dedication, and how he would have the results posted in the Gryffindor common room by that night. The tryouts all left the pitch, and the returning team members lagged behind. Lily could hardly believe her eyes when James began running laps around the pitch, and his team all began to follow. They had just undergone four hours of tryouts. "Are they mental?" she voiced her thoughts. Remus laughed at her shock. It was a well-known fact that James was most likely the most dedicated and driven quidditch captain Hogwarts had ever seen, but of course Lily had managed to overlook that fact over the years.

"It's mostly that James is," he explained. "I don't think this conditioning is actually mandatory. The crazy thing is that they're willingly following him. They respect him, and the better shape they're in before his actual conditioning starts the better off they'll be." She shook her head in disbelief, finding a great new pride instilled in her for her house team. The time they committed to the sport was much greater than she had ever realized.

The group of five made their way back to the heads common room, opting to relax until the other two returned. "We should all knock out some homework together," Remus suggested, to which Peter groaned.

"Remus, it's Saturday," he whined, not nearly in the mood to be sitting down working on this beautiful weekend day.

"But I'll help you, Wormtail. And if we get a lot of it done before the two scoundrels get back, then we won't have to worry about them distracting us. It'll be done for the weekend and out of the way." Remus argued logically.

"I'm with Remus," Alice chipped in. "Having the entire night ahead of us and Sunday without any homework sounds glorious."

"I'm in as well. I can't pass up the opportunity for some help with the charms work," Marlene added. Lily nodded her assent as well, feeling pretty grateful to have the help of her friends available should she need it. Peter, ever the follower, gave in rather quickly, and though he hated to admit it, he really did benefit from Remus's help. They all settled in the common room around the roaring fire and readily went to work, hardly any sound occurring but for the occasional murmuring of a question and the furious scratching of quills. When James and Sirius finally entered the room around three o'clock, freshly showered and cleaned up, the group had pretty much finished up everything.

"Oh please don't tell me we're having a homework party," Sirius groaned, collapsing on top of Remus on the couch.

"Get off me you big oaf" the sandy haired marauder laughed, shoving Sirius over onto Marlene.

"I'm exhausted," Sirius moaned, making no effort to vacate Marlene's space. She laughed at his antics and shifted herself so that he was lying in her lap.

"Well aren't you a poor little baby," she cooed mockingly, yet Lily could see her running her fingers subtly through his hair. Sirius nodded and pouted childishly, and the group chuckled at his immaturity.

"Scratch a little behind his ears, Marls. He rather likes that" James tossed out, earning a hefty laugh from both Remus and Peter. Lily and Alice exchanged a confused glance, but decided to save it for later.

"We're actually all done with our homework. We were hoping you two would finish yours up so we could do something fun tonight," Lily suggested. James raised his eyebrows at her, looking surprised.

"Lily Evans, are you encouraging our Marauder antics?" he questioned dramatically, to which Lily rolled her eyes.

"Always the tone of surprise, Potter," she replied, smirking slightly.

"Living with Prongs has already been a bad influence on you, Lily," Sirius laughed, shaking his head.

"He likes living with me, we have loads of fun" she joked back, but upon seeing the opportunity she presented, groaned immediately.

"Oi Prongs, you didn't tell me you two were having 'loads of fun'" Sirius waggled his eyebrows, to which Marlene slapped his chest lightly. She herself was smiling.

"I wasn't aware that we were. But I assure you, Lily, the offer is on the table," with that he winked at the blushing redhead, who tossed her pillow at the two as they ran up the stairs to James's room. They returned minutes later in fresh pairs of jeans and casual Henley shirts, both looking effortlessly attractive. Upon their return, Peter brought the question back to the table, "So what're we doing tonight then, once these two catch up on the homework parade?"

"I'm actually done with all mine," James replied. "I couldn't sleep in at all this morning because of tryouts, woke up at bloody 3:30 in the morning. So I came down here and got some work done."

"Don't everyone freak out all at once here, but I'm actually done with mine too. Oddly, I had the same problem this morning," Sirius added.

"You know, it's really not that odd at all. You two are so freakishly in sync sometimes," Alice chorused, smiling affectionately at the two. They really had all grown quite fond of each other quickly. The group just molded really well. James and Sirius just laughed.

"Well, since we're all done, how do you boys fancy a little trip to Hogsmeade?" James offered up, excited at the prospect of getting to leave the grounds.

"Hold on, you're leaving us out?" Marlene immediately demanded.

"Hold your horses, McKinnon. I've got an idea," James assured smoothly. Lily wasn't sure whether the wicked smirk lighting up his eyes frightened her or attracted her, but she gathered that it was definitely a little bit of both.

"What do you have in mind, Prongs?" Sirius asked, mirroring his partner in crime's smirk.

A few hours later, the boys made their way back from Hogsmeade very carefully. They were bringing along several bottles of firewhiskey, and an interesting little potion Sirius had nicked from Slughorn's store. They also had grabbed loads of sweets from Honeydukes, and somehow James had talked the house elves into delivering some food to them in the heads dorm. _Really, the boy was far too charming for his own good_. Only two of them could fit under the cloak, so Sirius and James, who were bringing in the firewhiskey, were hidden under it. Remus and Peter, taking a different passageway back, had the map. By 6 o'clock, they had reunited and made their way to the girls in the common room with all of their special treats. The house elves followed closely behind with dinner, and Lily made sure to thank them an incredible amount of times before letting them return to the kitchens. Staring in awe at the mountain of sweets, food, and alcohol presented before them, the girls laughed appreciatively. "So we're having a little party, aye?" Marlene asked excitedly.

"Just us," James answered. "But I thought we could play some drinking games and loosen everybody up a little. We're all a little too tense." The group chorused their approval, and after everyone helped themselves to dinner, they started playing some muggle card game Marlene had suggested.

Lily was surprised at how much fun she was having. She had never been much of a partier, let alone a drinker, but this had been a great idea. They were all alone, in the heads dorms, where they couldn't get caught. There was no wild party for McGonagall to barge in on, and no one was getting too out of hand. Though after several rounds of cards, Lily was successfully feeling a nice buzz going in her head. Finishing up their last round with the cards, James gave Sirius a nod, and turned towards the girls. "We actually have one more little surprise for you ladies," he grinned wickedly.

"Oh Lord" Alice groaned, but looked intrigued all the same. Sirius pulled out a small vial filled with a clear potion and held it up to the group. "Veritaserum," he confirmed, clearly proud of himself for obtaining it.

"How did you get that?" Lily questioned incredulously, but then answered her own question by saying, "Nevermind. The less I know the better."

"I like the way you think, Lils," James responded, and met her eye, sending a quick shiver down her spine. Lily quickly realized how dangerous of a combination alcohol in her system and James Potter being in the same room really was.

"So what are we using this for, then?" Marlene asked.

"We're going to play a little game of Never Have I Ever" Sirius replied smoothly. _Well, if we didn't know the boys that well yet, we're about to get to know them extremely well,_ Lily thought to herself. As nervous as she felt, she was also extremely interested, and so she downed her portion of the potion willingly. Immediately, she felt a coldness wash over her, and knew it had been successful. Taking a chug of his firewhiskey, Sirius explained, "Everybody puts up ten fingers. When someone says something you've done, you not only put down a finger, you take a drink. When you're down to five, you take a shot. If you're the first person out of fingers completely, you take two shots. When everybody else gets out, you only have to take one shot. Got it?" Everybody nodded.

"Alright, good. So… Never Have I Ever…. Slept with my quidditch captain," Sirius quipped, making direct eye contact with James.

"OY! That's targetting" James remarked angrily, but good naturedly took his drink and put his finger down laughing. Alice laughed and exclaimed, "Tell me that rumor wasn't true and this isn't what I'm thinking it is!"

Lily, confused, asked, "What rumor?" though she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know. She told herself that it only bothered her because Potter was a pig when it came to women in the past, or so she had always thought. But the burning in her chest seemed to be something more. _It's just the firewhiskey.._ she tried convincing herself again.

"Prongs lost his virginity to Cassidy Cromwell" Sirius burst out, unable to contain the secret.

"Wasn't she a seventh year when we were in 4th year?" Lily asked unbelievingly.

"Yes, yes she was," James had the decency to look slightly abashed.

"She was 17 and she slept with a 14 year old?!" Marlene cried.

"I was fifteen, thank you very much. I'm the oldest of our year" James defended immediately.

"Bloody hell, Potter. I don't know whether to be disgusted or impressed," Alice laughed, clearly finding the entire situation amusing. Marlene joined her, and soon the entire group was laughing at James' expense. Well, Lily was trying to smile along with them at least, but she was certain it was coming out more as a grimace.

"Alright, alright already," James laughed, making to continue the game. "Never have I ever.. made out with a Slytherin." Marlene, Sirius, and surprisingly Peter put fingers down and downed a drink. "Yeah Pete!" James cheered, remembering vividly the night Peter had made out with one of the nastiest girls in Slytherin. Peter glowered at him and blushed, but managed to chuckle at himself all the same.

The game continued in the same manner. The girls learned that Remus lost his virginity to a muggle, Peter got caught having sex by the muggle police in his home town, Sirius accidentally slept with a married woman, and James had hooked up with the barmaid from Hogsmeade, Rosmerta. The boys learned that Frank was the first and only person Alice had slept with, Lily had caught Marlene doing more than snogging in a broom closet on more than one occasion, and Lily had never kissed Snape. James in particular felt very relieved at the last statement, but only because he was such a greasy git (or so that's what he told himself). It was Lily's turn again, and Sirius and Marlene both only had one finger left. She knew a very simple way to get them to lose, but she wasn't sure if she should be admitting it or not. The alcohol coursing through her veins, however, gave her a great boost of liquid courage, and so smirking at them, she said, "Never have I ever shagged someone." The entire group gaped at her, and everyone lowered a finger. She laughed at all of them, particularly Marlene and Sirius who were both required to take two shots. She kept her gaze on Marlene and Sirius, because she could feel a certain someone's gazing heating up the side of her face. _She's a virgin…_ James thought to himself. And for the first time in a long time, he acknowledged the strong pull he felt towards the girl.

The game continued for a very short while longer, and the buzz Lily had been feeling was growing significantly stronger. At some point, they had switched to just talking and laughing and taking shots for the fun of it. By midnight, the group was all rather pissed. Peter was already passed out on the couch, and Remus looked on his way to join them. Marlene and Alice were dancing to music in the middle of the room, and Sirius and James were sitting in armchairs talking about something or the other. Lily was sitting by herself, a ways away from them on the loveseat, taking in her surroundings and simply smiling goofily at it all. She was watching her two best friends dance crazily and laughing, and she couldn't help but feel thankful she had met the two girls all those years ago. A weight shifted next to her, and when she looked over, her green eyes met a beautiful pair of deep, hazel ones.

"So did you have fun?" his deep voice murmured, his warm breath tickling the side of her face. She could smell his intoxicating cologne, and it took her brain a moment to clarify a response.

"I had loads of fun," she finally whispered back, not sure why she felt the need to be quiet. "Could we talk?" she asked, nodded upstairs to their rooms. He eyed her questioningly, but nodded, and guided her towards the stairs.

"We're going to retire for the night, you lot," James announced. Luckily, the only one paying attention was Sirius, who merely raised his glass and wolf whistled. He was distracted moments later when Marlene came over to sit on his lap. Lily followed James up the stairs into his room, where he took a seat on his bed and motioned for her to do the same. She sat close to him, wanting to feel his warmth again.

"Is something bothering you?" James asked curiously, unsure where this conversation was headed.

"Why did I hate you?" Lily asked, staring at her hands fiddling in her lap. She hiccupped lightly once, making James laugh at her drunkenness, but he answered her question all the same.

"I don't know, really," he sighed. "I mean, to be fair, Lily, we could be pretty awful at times and we knew it. But we've always been the good guys you're just now opening your eyes too. I think part of it was just the fact that I asked you out all those times and you hated feeling so embarrassed."

She nodded, and continued for him, "I suppose it was hard not to hate you when my best friend did so vehemently." James shook his head at that, but managed not to say anything stupid. "Was it all a joke?" she continued, mentally noting that sober Lily was going to murder her tomorrow.

"Was what a joke?" James asked, furrowing his eyebrows at the question.

"Asking me out," she replied, and his gaze met hers sharply. "I always thought it was just another prank, y'know? Another game, because I always said no and you always embarrassed me."

"No, Lily, it wasn't a joke. I was young and stupid and I don't know, I might have just liked the chase for awhile. But I know at some point I did end up liking you.." He paused for a moment, taking in her reaction. "Back then." He added, trying to ensure that things didn't become awkward between them. The moment was heating up quickly, though, and she had somehow managed to move even closer to him.

"I'm sorry for being so horrible to you," she said, gazing up at him through her long eyelashes, but before he could respond, she continued, "How many girls have you been with?" She sure wasn't being shy tonight.

James laughed a little uncomfortably, and asked her, "Why are you asking that?" She shrugged, not too sure herself. "I don't know, I guess because of the game. I have this brand new opinion of you, now, and I want to know how far it extends. I guess I just want to know if you guys are the womanizers you're made out to be." James laughed a little, and ran a hand through his hair. A habit that she used to find so annoying was suddenly incredibly endearing, and her hands itched to run themselves through it.

"We've all been on plenty of dates, and not too sound too arrogant, but I think it's pretty clear that we all have quite a few girls after us." She cringed slightly. "But the only one who's really been with a lot of girls is Sirius, and to be fair, he's always very upfront and honest with the girls about what he wants. They are full aware of what is going on." She nodded, still feeling like that hadn't quite answered her question. "And you?" she pressed further, for a reason unbeknownst to her needing to hear the answer.

"Five," James answered quietly. "You already heard about the quidditch captain, and there were a couple muggle girls over the summers. And then one or two Hogwarts girls here and there at a party or when I dated them. I try to keep my indescretions to myself, which is why you only hear rumors. I like my business to be my business." Five wasn't nearly as bad as she had assumed, and she found herself feeling extremely relieved that he wasn't nearly as bad as his reputation preceded him. "Remus has only been with two girls, and he was drunk for both of them. Peter has been with a few as well, but we're not nearly as bad as they make us out to be. At least in this aspect. We're much worse in other ones though" he winked at her, and she managed to crack a smile. "That's my girl," he smiled back. Silence settled around them, comfortably, thoughts racing through both of their heads. When he looked back up at her, he asked, "So you're a virgin?" Lily blushed what she knew must have been an incredible shade of red.

"Embarrassing, right?" but he shook his head no to answer her. She sighed, "I guess I just haven't thought anyone was worth it. It's not like I've never wanted to. I just can't imagine remembering my very first time as a drunk hook up at a party."

"You, Lily Evans, are something else," James murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, his rough fingertips brushing the skin of her cheek. Suddenly, Lily was incredibly aware of everything going on around her. She felt every small shift of movement he made, noticed every small hair sticking out of place on his head. And she rapidly felt herself being drawn in. As her heart pounded in her ears, Lily did something she never in her life thought she would ever do. She kissed James Potter.


End file.
